Juice cleanse (Getty Images)
At some point in the last decade, someone decided that if you liquefy spinach and green apple, and charge ₹600 for it, it becomes a lifestyle. Enter: the juice cleanse. The glossy, green ritual that promises to reboot your system, detox your soul, and make your skin glow like you’ve just been airbrushed.
Here’s a cold, pulp-free truth. According to Nutritionist Sheetal Yadav of holistic health services Reaviva, your skin may love antioxidants, but it’s not signing up for starvation. “Most juice cleanses offer a burst of antioxidants,” she says, “but they lack the structural nutrients that keep the skin barrier healthy.”
Juices may have vitamins, but they don’t have the good stuff: amino acids, essential fats, and fibre that actually build your skin from the inside out. Without those, Yadav explains, your face might look fresh for a few days but over time, it becomes “more prone to dullness, dehydration, and breakouts.” Essentially, you start your day with cucumber, kale, and lemon and tell yourself you’re detoxing, when really you’re just a hungry person with expensive urine.
Juices lack many essential nutrients (Getty Images)
Sheetal Yadav confirms that when you ditch solid food, you’re not just cutting calories but also cutting construction materials. “Amino acids are needed for collagen repair, fats keep the hormonal balance steady, and fibre supports detox enzymes,” she explains. In other words, juices give you a taste of health but skip the heavy lifting. It’s like paying for a gym membership and only taking selfies in the changing room mirror!
The Fibre Factor
Fibre is the underrated hero of skin health. It’s not glamorous but according to Yadav, fibre acts like “a carrier for toxins, removing metabolic waste, excess estrogen, and inflammatory by-products through the gut.”
When you eat whole foods (think lentils, nuts, fruits, and vegetables that haven’t been pulverized into oblivion), you’re giving your body the full package. The skin loves this because those foods deliver phytonutrients in their natural “matrix,” improving absorption and stabilizing blood sugar. This means fewer acne flare-ups, less inflammation, and better collagen synthesis. Juices, on the other hand, are like that one friend who promises to help but ends up making a bigger mess. They spike your glucose, don’t stick around long enough to feed your cells properly, and forget to bring the fatty acids or proteins your skin cells actually need to regenerate.
Real food is the whole package (Getty Images)
The Real Glow-Up: Eating Like a Human Again
What does the nutritionist recommend? “I only recommend juicing in controlled, complementary formats,” says Yadav. “For example, adding a cold-pressed vegetable shot alongside a protein-rich meal.” Read that again. Alongside a meal. Not instead of one.
Juices can be like that colourful sidekick in a buddy comedy; great for support, but please don’t give them the lead role. They’re fine as a supplement (to top up your antioxidants or sneak in a few extra veggies when you’re busy) but not as a meal replacement. “A balanced skin diet always pairs plant extracts with whole proteins, fats, and fibre,” says Yadav, “to sustain the skin’s repair cycle and microbiome integrity.” Your skin has a microbiome. And it gets cranky when you starve it.
| Category | Juice Cleanse | Real Meal |
| Texture | Liquid | Chewable satisfaction |
| Skin Impact | Temporary glow | Steady collagen input |
| Nutrient Value | Vitamins but no structure | Balanced fats, proteins, fibre |
| Mood | Hangry enlightenment | Actual joy |
| Best Use | Morning shot with breakfast | Literally the rest of your life |
Juice cleanses may have their 15 minutes of fame but if glowing skin, steady energy, and sanity are your goals, then real food still reigns supreme. Your body was built for chewing, not sipping every meal through a metal straw like a post-apocalyptic astronaut.
Read more:
- The Secret To Malaika Arora’s Morning Glow Is The ‘Retinol Juice’ She Swears By; Here’s What Experts Have To Say
- Super Healthy Drinks To Power Your Day And They Aren’t Plain Water
- Two Gulab Jamuns Too Many: How Festive Sweets Can Damage Your Liver
- Why Do Doctors Recommend Kiwis For Chronic Constipation? New Research Has The Answer
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